Cardboard cop snatched from outside Rockridge pet store

A police officer has been stolen from an Oakland pet store -- well, a photo of one anyway.

The cardboard cop was stolen from outside a Pet Food Express store in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood earlier this week, company officials and police said.

The theft, captured on the building's surveillance video, occurred around 12:50 p.m. Monday at the store located at 5144 Broadway in Oakland, according to police.

The 6-foot-tall display, which features a police officer holding a dog, was promoting a fundraiser being held at all Pet Food Express stores on Oct. 15 and 16 to provide safety equipment for police dogs.

The surveillance video, posted on YouTube at http://www.bit.ly/policethief, shows a male suspect walk up to the display. He looks around briefly, then picks it up and walks off.

The fundraiser, in its third year, has helped outfit about 100 police dogs with specially designed bulletproof vests for law enforcement agencies around Northern California.

For more information about the police dog safety program, or to donate, visit www.coveryourk9.org.